Prime Cabinet Secretary (CS) Musalia Mudavadi has admitted that Kenya has yet to fully recover from the adverse economic effects of COVID-19 which were felt throughout the globe when the pandemic first hit.

Speaking at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit-Level in Baku, Azerbaijan on Thursday when he presented an update on measures that Kenya has taken up to cushion citizens from the enormous shocks of the pandemic, Mudavadi noted that despite various interventions by the State the economy has yet to record a growth rebound.

“Livelihoods and businesses are still struggling after COVID-19 disruption of both internal and international markets for goods and services. Unemployment is high, as scarcity of food resulting from high prices threaten the health of majority Kenyans," the Prime CS, who was speaking on behalf of President William Ruto, told the summit.

"Of the 57 million Kenyans, 17% or 8.9 million were experiencing extreme poverty in 2022 exacerbated in part by COVID-19.”

He added that the pandemic also led to the closure of schools for almost a year, thus affecting the country’s education transition systems.

"Overall, the education sector was also severely hit by the pandemic. Despite mitigation measures to cushion learners still bearing the brunt of the pandemic, UNESCO data shows that close to a half of the world’s students are still in one way or another affected by COVID-19 effects," he said.  

Mudavadi however lauded members of NAM for the role they played in making vaccines accessible globally during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NAM is a forum of 120 countries not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The countries of the NAM, usually considered developing or the Third World, represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations' members and hold 55% of the world population.

“If there is a global lesson learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the unequal access to vaccines across the world. Kenya therefore, supports the COVAX initiative, but also calls for access diversification through equitable spread of vaccine manufacturing, diagnostics and treatments for other potential pandemics,” said Mudavadi on behalf of President William Ruto.

While noting that Kenya has always been on the lookout for worthwhile multilateral partnerships, Mudavadi added that the COVAX initiative campaign guaranteed rapid, fair and equitable access to vaccines by people and countries regardless of their wealth.

"Kenya is open to concrete partnership in improving transport infrastructure, education, liquidity to business including MSMEs, health provision, agriculture and food security, support to tourism recovery; improving environment, water and sanitation; supporting manufacturing and enhancing social protection," said the Prime CS.

Mudavadi added that Kenya supports NAM on the need for the international community to boost debt relief and restructuring to help African countries mitigate the effect of COVID-19.

Kenya's present public debt is at 60% of GDP of which the domestic debt is 33.2% of GDP while external debt is 27% of GDP.

This is a public debt total of $35.4 billion (around Ksh.4.5 trillion) or 31% of GDP.